Sidewalks Vital as Neighborhood Commons

If dividing and conquering us is the goal of the powers that be, the remedy might be as close as our neighborhood sidewalks.

Last week I talked about roads, so this week it’s all about our sidewalks. Sidewalks aren’t just about getting from Point A to Point B, though. They have a life of their own! While our auto-centric culture drives us apart and shortens our lives, sidewalks bring communities together. From serving as a venue for protests or an incubator for commerce to being the only place the homeless can go, these ribbons of concrete are there to lift us all up.

The old model of suburbia is changing. Boomers and Gen X may want to spend the rest of their lives in congested commuter corridors, but younger people more often prefer to live in walkable cities and “complete neighborhoods” instead. Complete neighborhoods offer amenities and fill residents’ needs within walking distance, with convenient restaurants, walk-in clinics, grocery stores, and parks. Rather than the expense of car ownership or requiring a governmental commitment to funding public transportation, these trendy yet forward-thinking communities foster the kind of local economies that promote resilience for our uncertain and low-energy future.

If people sleeping on sidewalks seem like a threat, I have bad news about the economic system that creates and perpetuates homelessness to begin with. Adapted from a photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash.

Cities across the country have been cracking down on homeless populations, but really, if people can’t afford or access shelter, will criminalizing their existence help anything? In Indianapolis, “residents feeling unsafe” is the excuse used to justify banning sitting or laying down on sidewalks, but if sleeping people feel like a threat to you, I have bad news about the economic system that perpetuates homelessness to begin with. In Hawaii, the Honolulu city council recently approved two bills, one that penalizes obstructing sidewalks between certain hours, and another that makes it a misdemeanor to “lodge” (rest or sleep) on sidewalks. To be fair, the police officer issuing a citation for the latter “must first verify there is shelter space available within a reasonable distance and then offer to take the person being cited to the shelter,” but shelters aren’t necessarily the best options either.

In a country being torn asunder by nationalism, inequality, political polarization, and a long, slow collapse, caring about one’s neighbors is becoming a radical act. If dividing and conquering us is the goal of the powers that be, the remedy might be as close as our neighborhood sidewalks.

About Dawn Allen

Dawn Allen is a freelance writer and editor who is passionate about sustainability, political economy, gardening, traditional craftwork, and simple living. She and her husband are currently renovating a rural homestead in southeastern Michigan.

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